Rio de Janeiro 2016/Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of Rio de Janeiro 2016 was held in the Maracanã Stadium, and it was created by Marco Balich (Executive Producer), Abel Gomes (Executive Creative Director) and Andrea Varnier (Chief Executive Officer), as well as the creative directors Andrucha Waddington, Daniela Thomas, and Fernando Meirelles. The opening ceremony took place on 5 August 2016. The opening ceremony focused on the sustainability of the earth, and the celebration of Brazilian history. This was reflected in the costs of the opening ceremony, with it costing about 6 times less than the opening ceremony of the previous edition. The stadium was used for several matches of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014, including the final, although it was heavily renovated in the two years in between. Countdown The opening ceremony started with a video showcasing how and where sports are practiced in the host city. From tourists (and locals) on the world-famous Copacabana beach to students and workforce traveling to their destinations, sports have become an integral part of everyone's lives. The video was accompanied by Aquele Abraço, a song of freedom and a song against the military dictatorship in Brazil, performed by Luiz Melodia. This prologue continued with a performance reflecting the Brazilian capabilities to create art, and a new attitude towards the planet. Showing how much is possible with just a limited set of geometric shapes, Brazilians have a talent to create something great out of nothing and to showcase the rich history of the nation, this segment combined the African culture and the Portuguese tile design to determine a part of Brazilian culture. After a countdown, sheets of metallic paper were turned into cushions, which were used as drums. With the powerful drumming batucada, a vortex was created, that spiraled into sustainable peace, combining the peace symbol with a tree. The segment ended with a firework show, spelling out the name of the host city (Rio) several times in the sky. Entry of the President Due to a difficult relationship between the Brazilian government and the Brazilian people, it was decided that acting president Michel Temer would not be introduced in the stadium. Because of this, only the president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach was introduced, after which the Brazilian national anthem was played, with the Brazilian flag being raised by the Rio de Janeiro Environmental Police. The rendition of the national anthem was performed by Paulinho da Viola, who showed the importance of modesty by creating an acoustic version of the song. Pindorama: The Birth of Life After the introduction of the opening ceremony, the first segment showed the progression of nature throughout history. Ever since the earth was covered by water, which dried up, it allowed forestation to grow. Because of this, animals and aboriginals came to live in the area we now call Brazil, without manipulating nature as much, living in "Ocas", native huts in the Amazon rainforest. After hundreds of years, the Portuguese 'discovered' Brazil, and settled there, robbing the land of resources, and destroying the nature that had been growing there for centuries. After the Europeans came the Africans, who were brought to Brazil to work as slaves, turning the land in working fields (e.g. sugar cane plantations). However, the basis of Brazilian culture doesn't just exist out of the European and the African cultures. Years later, in the 1900s, immigrants from the Middle East and Asia came to settle in Brazil, bringing commodities and information to the nation. Metropolis This migration all lead up Brazil as we know it now. Modern cities are created, with buildings constantly being constructed. A Brazilian skyline is shown, with youth freerunning, as a representation of urban civilization, who collaborate to build inventions with something as simple as some boxes. However, the biggest breakthrough in Brazilian development was made by inventor Santos Dumont, who constructed his plane 14 BIS, flying over Maracanã and the city of Rio de Janeiro. Bossa The modern country of Brazil isn't just a place where immigrants gather to live a new life, but also a place with a progressive culture known all around the world. Represented by model Gisele Bündchen, world's most successful model, and the song "Garota de Ipanema", the second most known song in the world, an image of a sensual land is created, showcasing the Brazilian culture in more ways than one. Pop Favela Voices Category:Rio de Janeiro 2016 Category:Rio de Janeiro 2016 Events